Roars Rampage

March will see Western Australia host 16 elite grapplers from all over the country to compete in the first tournament of its kind in Perth. Be there as history is made with this Submission only event awarding $2500 to the winner.

Roar Fitness 24/7 will host the event and create a unique viewing experience for all present. Legends of the sport along with young guys looking for their breakthrough in the scene will compete for the right to call them self the ROAR’S RAMPAGE CHAMPION. If you are yet to get your tickets to this event which has almost sold out grab them quick by following the below link.

Today we catch up with Adam Jacques the creator of this event for a quick chat in the lead up to Roars Rampage.

OG – Hi Adam, Thank You so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule this week to have a chat with us here at Open Guard. For our readers that aren’t aware please tell them a little bit about yourself?

AJ – Thanks guys, well I’m a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under WA BJJ Pioneer Professor Adam Metcalf of The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Balcatta (My lineage is The Machado brothers) and I run my own academy ROAR BJJ out of the gym I work at: Roar Fitness 24/7 where I also work my day job in a management role across both the Canning Vale and Cockburn locations.

OG – We may as well get straight to the point mate; this Saturday the 11th of March you are hosting the first event of its kind here in Western Australia, Roars Rampage. A 16 man submission only grappling event. Can you tell us more about the event?

AJ – 16 elite grapplers from all over Australia are coming to Perth to compete for $2500 (winner takes all). The format is the EBI rule set which I personally believe is the best current format for providing an exciting viewing experience. The WA Combat sport commission approved the ruleset for us and were pivotal in getting the event off the ground, in particular Tracey Beckwith who helped us push through much of the paperwork faster allowing us to approve this never before seen event in WA much faster than otherwise possible. We have some of the biggest names in Australian grappling on the card including guys like Lachlan Giles, Luke Martin and Kit Dale.

OG – With some of Australia’s most recognizable talent on show alongside some of the younger guys in the sport, who excites you the most on this stacked card?

AJ – 2 Guys get me really excited for this event the first is IBJJF NO-GI worlds medalist Mikael Yahaya from Melbourne who is currently in Japan at the ADCC Qualifiers. Mikael is a light guy and moves like a spider monkey, his highlight reel includes him wearing a one piece wolverine x-men rash guard suit and cartwheeling into heel hooks.

The second guy is a late addition to the card replacing UFC athlete Steven Kennedy who pulled out due to injury, local grappler George Garley. George is really exciting to watch and always moves at a fast pace and although is only a blue belt currently I believe he can push any opponent on the card simply due to his style of constant pressure and pace.
OG – Will there be any other match ups/ super fights on the night or will it purely be the 16 man eliminator?

AJ – In the future I would really like to put on a Super fight before the final match just to break things up a bit and bring even more excitement to the card but for this particular event it will purely be the 16 man eliminator.

OG – What was the biggest contributing factor for you to head down the sub only format for this event?AJ – I suppose on some level I’ve always been on a mission to positively impact and grow the art of jiu-jitsu. Martial arts and jiu-jitsu in particular have given me so much and I really just want to find ways to enhance that ability for BJJ to help people and maybe one day make it possible for people to make a living from competing in BJJ fulltime. I suppose for me the Sub only format represents a way to make BJJ exciting enough to the general viewer and therefore increase the likelihood of sponsors and opportunities for the coaches and athletes and that will allow me to help impact and grow the sport in Australia and hopefully set things up for the grassroots competitors to one day make Grappling a sustainable vocation rather than just a part time deal or hobby.

OG – Obviously the huge success of the EBI cards and other similar events has been great for the sport of BJJ, do you envisage this becoming a regular event on the WA BJJ scene?

AJ – EBI is really paving the way for the BJJ landscape of the future, I feel like IBJJF worlds and ADCC are still the most prestigious events but with EBI being signed to UFC Fight pass and having very successful and exciting shows it’s only a matter of time before EBI attracts enough big name sponsors to offer the most prize money and prestige attracting the best of the best and snowballing the event into the most recognised and appreciated spectacle. I feel like we are going to experience a shift in how submission grappling is viewed culturally, Here in WA I’m hoping to lead this shift and make Perth a hot bed for sub grappling and bring us into the spotlight on the national and world stage. If this first event goes well there will be more events around the corner for sure.

OG – Arranging a competition at any level would be a challenging task not to mention bringing in guys from all over Australia for one weekend to compete against each other. Is this the first event you have been involved in? And what have been some of the biggest challenges in the planning of the night?

AJ – This is the first event I have arranged of this kind and I’ve only just become a licensed promoter with the department of sport and recreation so I am very new to this but having said that I have already gained so much knowledge from the experience thus far. The biggest challenges include mostly just the general logistics of the day and the inner workings of the venue. The event will be filmed by several media personnel which requires zones that each of them can operate in and setting up the space for the flow to work. The other huge challenge is athletes pulling out of the event for various reasons, we have had many line-up changes and alterations to the brackets which isn’t ideal but luckily we have retained the big names on the card and even lucked out with some really great replacements, in future I may be looking to run a 6 man round robin style event for this reason.

OG – How many people are you expecting through the doors of Roar on the night and will there be anywhere people can catch the event if they are interstate?

AJ – We are looking at having about 200 on the night with ticket sales going far better than expected. The venue we have is very unique and with a mix of seated and standing crowd we should be able to pack 200 in comfortably. If people can’t make it down a live stream is available on the ROAR BJJ Facebook page. Simply go tohttps://www.facebook.com/ROARBJJto watch the LIVE stream provided by my good friend and fellow Team AMMA brown belt Reece Crooke for FREE from 6PM.

OG – Now I know being the promoter I probably shouldn’t ask but who is your pick to take out the inaugural event?

AJ – That is a super tough question and I’ve changed my mind on this about 10 times already and it is really a situation where anything can happen on the night but I would have to go with Lachlan Giles if I were a betting man.

OG – Well mate thanks once again for taking the time to chat with us here we look forward to attending the night and watching the action play out live. Do you have anything you would like to add?

AJ – Thanks for having me and I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has helped make this event possible I’m sure at some point we will all look back at this and realize hopefully that it was ground zero for many more successful events. See you all Saturday!

OG – So there you have it guys get down to Roar 24/7 for an action packed night of sub only grappling. Adam has also arranged two seminars over the weekend. The Lachlan Giles seminar on Saturday has sold out, however Kit Dale is also holding a seminar on the Sunday there are limited tickets still available so secure your spot now by clicking HERE.